Tip your server.

BigRedRage

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Always tip people in a service position. My opinion.

But then again, I'm from Vegas.
 

puckhead

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Agreed. If you can't afford to tip when you eat out, you should probably eat at home or go fast food.

Those folks are working their tails off.
 

Covert Rain

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We had some of the worst service in a long time by our waitress over the weekend and we still tipped (on the low end). Even though it was awful service, I could tell she was overwhelmed and I am sure part of the problem was with kitchen staff which is not apparent to the customer. I was a waiter for a short time so I am fully aware of how bad the kitchen staff can make a waiter or waitress look.
 

Russ Smith

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I always tip even at Subway.
 

thirty-two

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Are you supposed to tip when picking up a to-go order? I'm torn.
 

PDXChris

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Are you supposed to tip when picking up a to-go order? I'm torn.

I do, but usually half. Most restaurants have someone that handles all of those orders, so I assume they still work for tips. But their amount to of work per order is less and have higher volume, so half evens it out.

Now, in Oregon, all gas is semi-full service. That is the real question on whether to tip. I only do if they wash my windshield.
 

AzStevenCal

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I always tip even at Subway.

It never even crossed my mind to tip at Subway or any place like that. And we're usually very good tippers. At regular restaurants we give between 15% and 25% (actually it's even higher as we go by the full amount not the pre-tax number). But it's never even crossed my mind to tip at a takeout place. How about the hybrid places that are like Subway but also have a drive thru, do you tip at the window too? I'll have to give this some thought???

We usually tip 15% if we get good table service at places like Sizzlers but I'm never quite sure how much to tip at restaurants that are sit-down but not quite full service. And we usually just leave a few bucks if it's a serve yourself restaurant such as John's Pizza, Soup Plantation, Home Town Buffet or a similar kind of spot. We might leave 5 or 6 if they bring the beverages but that's about it. I'd be willing to leave more if someone convinced me that it was appropriate but usually it looks to me like we are one of the few patrons that leave anything at all (other than a mess).
 

SoCal Cardfan

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I always tip even at Subway.

Whoa...Whoa..... WHOA!!!

Let's not get crazy here Russ!If you've chosen the life of a sandwich artist, your art is what keeps you going. :D


That being said, my wife and I met years ago while in food service.
We both acknowledge that we grossly over-tip for great service, give 15 to 20% for decent/average service.

In our 20+ years together, we stiffed one server...And that was generous, because he came very close to getting punched.
 

AzStevenCal

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Whoa...Whoa..... WHOA!!!

Let's not get crazy here Russ!If you've chosen the life of a sandwich artist, your art is what keeps you going. :D


LOL.

We've never stiffed anyone but that's only because we've never had a rude waiter and that's the only reason we'd do it.
 

oaken1

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we tip well....start at 29% and go up or down from there... part of it is for selfish reasons,...live in a small town...go to the same places all the time...
at our favorite restaurant, El Dorado,... the other servers do not even try to seat us they just yell for Larro. He is our guy. Treats us like kings... I like fresh cilantro with my tacos but being a small town it is not always available...so I do not order the tacos much.... Larro always lets me know when they have cilantro,.. and he chops it himself....On the rare occasion we show up when Larro is not there...Oscar is the backup....

The Mariachis?? Good dudes, they know not to come over if I am tired....generally tip them $1 per song when they stop by...then maybe a couple more bucks in their jar by the register.

Buffets....a buck per person for getting the drinks.

generally you can tell if poor service is due to the server or the kitchen... no point holding it against the server if it was out of their control.....

never send food back. the kitchen staff is either busy, or bored...I am not going to be the guy causing them grief in those circumstances,...I cant see them and they have my food..... if I get crap food, I choke it down...mention it to the manager.....I have a three strikes policy....if a restaurant hits their strikes in a short period...I don't go back.

I love a decent steakhouse.... Santa Fe Steakhouse in McComb, MS suxx ass...been there twice since I moved here and the food was poor each time....will give them a shot again in six more months,...but I am expecting it to be their third strike.....I can overlook a lot...but not a screwed up steak
 
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Southpaw

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Does the tipping for to go food include BK/MacDs/Wendys/Whattaburger/Checkers/Arby's/Hardee's/et al? My local Italian place (mmmm Stromboli) has a tip jar at the register. I deposit there.

BTW, I do not eat from any of them as I am an elitist? But I am curious.

Now if the states all enact higher minimums, how will that affect your tipping level? Man that Federal minimum blows. $ 2.31/hr. Come on. Get on it Barack before all of your exec orders expire.
 
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JS22

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We had some of the worst service in a long time by our waitress over the weekend and we still tipped (on the low end). Even though it was awful service, I could tell she was overwhelmed and I am sure part of the problem was with kitchen staff which is not apparent to the customer. I was a waiter for a short time so I am fully aware of how bad the kitchen staff can make a waiter or waitress look.

Exactly.

I was (briefly) a server and it was just horrible. I don't wish that job on anyone. Bad service isn't always the servers fault and isn't an excuse to get out of tipping. The ONLY time I didn't tip due to bad service was when I noticed the server sitting in a booth diddling around on his phone. Place was dead but he could barely bother to give us the time of day.
 

JS22

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Does the tipping for to go food include BK/MacDs/Wendys/Whattaburger/Checkers/Arby's/Hardee's/et al? My local Italian place (mmmm Stromboli) has a tip jar at the register. I deposit there.

BTW, I do not eat from any of them as I am an elitist? But I am curious.

Now if the states all enact higher minimums, how will that affect your tipping level? Man that Federal minimum blows. $ 2.31/hr. Come on. Get on it Barack before all of your exec orders expire.

Most servers that I know / have known would prefer to keep working for tips as opposed to a set hourly rate. The hourly rate almost ALWAYS ends up being less than what you'd make as a half-decent server.
 

BigRedRage

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20% always at sit downs unless the service is terrible. then maybe 15%

subways and etc, I dont tip. They make normal wages and are being paid to work. it is not like restaurants.

at the bar I tip a dollar per drink
 

Russ Smith

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It never even crossed my mind to tip at Subway or any place like that. And we're usually very good tippers. At regular restaurants we give between 15% and 25% (actually it's even higher as we go by the full amount not the pre-tax number). But it's never even crossed my mind to tip at a takeout place. How about the hybrid places that are like Subway but also have a drive thru, do you tip at the window too? I'll have to give this some thought???

We usually tip 15% if we get good table service at places like Sizzlers but I'm never quite sure how much to tip at restaurants that are sit-down but not quite full service. And we usually just leave a few bucks if it's a serve yourself restaurant such as John's Pizza, Soup Plantation, Home Town Buffet or a similar kind of spot. We might leave 5 or 6 if they bring the beverages but that's about it. I'd be willing to leave more if someone convinced me that it was appropriate but usually it looks to me like we are one of the few patrons that leave anything at all (other than a mess).


To be clear, if there's a plastic cup for tips when I pay at Subway I throw 1 dollar in it.

If there's no cup, I don't tip.
 

Russ Smith

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5-10% IMO

For the work put in and the packaging

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Now I feel bad I don't tip on to go orders I always assumed only the waiter has to pay taxes on tips so if you just pick it up, they don't get taxed. Again if they had a tip jar I'd tip but now I think I'm going to have to start adding a tip to the bill.

My girlfriend hates eating out, we almost always get it to go and eat at home so I'm actually doing this a couple of times a week.

So I guess I will start tipping on that now.
 

NJCardFan

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What is the protocol for tipping when you get bad service? I'm not talking about when you're in a busy restaurant and your server isn't as attentive to you as you'd like. I'm talking about piss poor service. Also, some chain restaurants have ordering kiosks at their tables. Applebees and Red Robin are 2 that I know of. If you don't even have anyone taking your order, how much should I tip the person who brings my food? Now I consider myself a good tipper but if I have a lousy server who spends more time texting and talking to other employees when my drink glass has been sitting empty for 10 minutes, why should I give them a decent tip? A tip should never be an entitlement. A good tip, IMO, needs to be earned.
 

Iceman

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To be clear, if there's a plastic cup for tips when I pay at Subway I throw 1 dollar in it.

If there's no cup, I don't tip.

As do I (at Subway). I am one that tips 20% always, even when the server is not good. I am not one to judge what is going on in the kitchen, other tables, etc. Plus, I am very easy going and want to make sure people are taken care of. Especially being a low income server
 

Mainstreet

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I'm normally not a Sonic Drive-In type person although once in awhile they will have something on their menu that intrigues me. However, I usually let the opportunity pass because I do not know what is expected especially in regard to tipping. Also I'm not sure if you go to the window to order or wait for someone to come to the car.

Has anyone mastered the Sonic experience?
 

Russ Smith

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As do I (at Subway). I am one that tips 20% always, even when the server is not good. I am not one to judge what is going on in the kitchen, other tables, etc. Plus, I am very easy going and want to make sure people are taken care of. Especially being a low income server

I actually posted about Subway recently on FB. I was in line and the guy 2 people in front of me was so rude it really ticked me off. He complained she hadn't asked him yet what he wanted on his sandwich and at one point he said I'd like to eat that sandwich sometime today. It's lunchtime, lots of companies around so if you get there at the wrong time even with 4 people working you wait a bit.

When she got to me, he was still waiting to pay and I said quite loudly to her don't worry about other people complaining it's busy we all get that. I'm there a couple of times a week it's 2 minutes from my work so they all know who I am. But I did it on purpose so the rude guy might think twice about how he'd treated her. He didn't say anything to me.

It's almost as if everyone should be forced to do a job like that for at least one day so they'd appreciate the other side of it.

My girlfriend and I have had several arguments over that during the years where somone is rude in a grocery store or something and I speak up. she's always afraid the rude person will turn out to be violent which these days I guess you never know.
 

BigRedRage

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Now I feel bad I don't tip on to go orders I always assumed only the waiter has to pay taxes on tips so if you just pick it up, they don't get taxed. Again if they had a tip jar I'd tip but now I think I'm going to have to start adding a tip to the bill.

My girlfriend hates eating out, we almost always get it to go and eat at home so I'm actually doing this a couple of times a week.

So I guess I will start tipping on that now.

waiters do not report all of their cash tips anyway, only credit tips are 100% reported.

Typically a food runner does the to go orders and food runners make normal wages, not tip wages.
 
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